Michael Chow, a flamboyant artist, entrepreneur and owner of two elegant Chinese restaurants in Manhattan, does everything with singular flair, so it was hardly surprising that when three waiters sued him yesterday, it was in no way a run-of-the-mill lawsuit. Among the allegations were that Mr. Chow ? whose restaurants are famous for attracting celebrities, including John Lennon, Andy Warhol, Madonna and Lenny Kravitz ? intentionally inflicted emotional distress on a longtime waiter by forcing him to lie on the floor during a 40-minute staff meeting and repeatedly feigning kicking him, to embarrass him in front of the others.
See "Waiters Claim Harassment at Mr. Chow", Steven Greenhouse, The New York Times, May 7, 2007